Raymond Terrace, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Raymond Terrace is a town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales
, Australia
, about 26 km (16 mi) by road north of Newcastle
on the Pacific Highway
. Established in 1837 it is situated at the confluence
of the Hunter and Williams
rivers and has about 12,600 residents. It is the administrative centre of the Port Stephens LGA as well as a service hub for surrounding rural areas. A fleet of prawn trawlers based at Raymond Terrace conducts prawning from Raymond Terrace to Hexham
.
The centre of the town where the shopping district is located is adjacent to the Hunter River, just south of the confluence of the two rivers. Access to the northern sides of the rivers is via the Fitzgerald bridge which crosses the Williams River just north-east of the confluence. When the Hunter River is in flood access is often not possible. The town itself is protected by levee banks and other flood mitigation devices however some lower parts of the town still flood as happened during the 2007 Hunter region and Central Coast storms.
In 1998 the Raymond Terrace bypass on the Pacific Highway
was opened, diverting traffic away from the town centre. Most of the town now lies to the north-west of the bypass between the Hunter and Williams rivers however the suburb of Lakeside lies to the east of the bypass, between the bypass and the wall of Grahamstown Dam.
and SES
share a facility located North of the town between Rees James Road and the Pacific Highway. The nearest hospitals are the Mater Misericordiae, John Hunter
and Maitland Hospitals. The Newcastle Mater Misericordiae and John Hunter hospitals are located in Newcastle
to the southwest while Maitland Hospital is located in Maitland
, to the northwest. All three are approximately 20–30 minutes driving time from the town.
and Hunter River High School.
department store. Shops also line William St and the adjacent Port Stephens St and Sturgeon St. On 29 May 2008 an Aldi
supermarket opened at the corner of Port Stephens and Kangaroo streets, bringing the total number of supermarkets in the town to three, all within 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) of each other. In August 2011, it was announced that the Raymond Terrace Marketplace, would be modernised and should be completed by late 2011.
There are several competitive sporting teams based in the Raymond Terrace area. The Raymond Terrace Magpies are the town's local Rugby League team, participating in the Newcastle Rugby League Competition. The town is represented in cricket by the Lions, a club that participates in the Maitland District Cricket Two Day Competition, and the Port Stephens Pythons (originally a club founded by members of the Port Stephens Shire Council, which is located in Raymond Terrace), that competes in the Maitland District Cricket One Day Competitions. Both teams play side by side at the King Park Sporting Complex and are renowned for having some of the best teams and players in the region. Other popular sports within the town are soccer, netball, athletics, golf and lawn bowls. There are two licensed clubs, Muree Golf Club and The Raymond Terrace Bowling Club, as well as a number of public bars. The majority of the sporting fields are located near the centre of town, on land that runs along the Williams and Hunter Rivers with other sporting fields located in the suburb of Lakeside, adjacent to Grahamstown Dam.
There is a boat ramp adjacent to the Fitzgerald Bridge, which crosses the Williams River, and the area is popular with water skiers and fisherpeople.
announced that it would fund the development of the feature film Tomorrow, When The War Began, based on the John Marsden
novel of the same name. Raymond Terrace was chosen as a major location for producing the film as it is "a great country town". Historic King Street, the former main street of the town, was transformed from a normally quiet location into Main Street, Wirrawee. The street began its transformation in September 2009. Set areas included the "Wirrawee Cinema" and the Lee family's Asian restaurant. Filming began in King Street on 21 October 2009 and continued until 27 October 2009. Filming in other locations in the town ended on 6 November 2009.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, about 26 km (16 mi) by road north of Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
on the Pacific Highway
Pacific Highway (Australia)
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...
. Established in 1837 it is situated at the confluence
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
of the Hunter and Williams
Williams River (New South Wales)
The Williams River is a river that flows through Dungog, Clarence Town and Seaham in New South Wales, Australia. The river flows generally south east and south for about to its confluence with the Hunter River, just to the west of the Fitzgerald Bridge at Raymond Terrace. Previously it was known...
rivers and has about 12,600 residents. It is the administrative centre of the Port Stephens LGA as well as a service hub for surrounding rural areas. A fleet of prawn trawlers based at Raymond Terrace conducts prawning from Raymond Terrace to Hexham
Hexham, New South Wales
Hexham is a suburb of the city of Newcastle, about inland from Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia on the bank of the Hunter River.Settlement occurred at Hexham in the 1820s when the land was granted to Edward Sparke...
.
Geography
Raymond Terrace consists of 3 distinct regions. The north and south regions are primarily rural/semi-rural and occupy approximately 74% of the town's land with only 3% of the population living in these areas. Most of the population lives in the town itself.In 1998 the Raymond Terrace bypass on the Pacific Highway
Pacific Highway (Australia)
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...
was opened, diverting traffic away from the town centre. Most of the town now lies to the north-west of the bypass between the Hunter and Williams rivers however the suburb of Lakeside lies to the east of the bypass, between the bypass and the wall of Grahamstown Dam.
Emergency services
All emergency service providers are represented in the town. In 2010 the police station was temporarily relocated to the site of the old Raymond Terrace Leisure Centre while a new station is being constructed on the site of the old station in William St. The fire station is located at the eastern edge of the town in Leisure Way, adjacent to Grahamstown Dam, while the ambulance station is located on Adelaide St (old Pacific Highway), a short distance from the centre of the town. The NSW Rural Fire ServiceNew South Wales Rural Fire Service
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service is a volunteer-based firefighting agency and statutory body of the NSW Government. The NSW RFS is responsible for the general administration of rural fire management affairs including administration of the Rural Fire Fighting Fund, co-ordination with local...
and SES
State Emergency Service
A State Emergency Service is an Australian volunteer organisation that provides emergency help during and after declared disasters. The SES is also the primary or secondary agency for emergencies, such as storm damage,flood damage, building damage, traffic hazards and road crash rescue...
share a facility located North of the town between Rees James Road and the Pacific Highway. The nearest hospitals are the Mater Misericordiae, John Hunter
John Hunter Hospital
The John Hunter Hospital is the principal referral centre and a community hospital for Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Northern New South Wales. It is the main teaching hospital of the University of Newcastle...
and Maitland Hospitals. The Newcastle Mater Misericordiae and John Hunter hospitals are located in Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
to the southwest while Maitland Hospital is located in Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
, to the northwest. All three are approximately 20–30 minutes driving time from the town.
Education
The town has four primary schools, St. Brigid's Catholic, Raymond Terrace Public, Irrawang Public and Grahamstown Public, and two high schools, Irrawang High SchoolIrrawang High School
Irrawang High School is one of two state high schools in Raymond Terrace. Located on Mount Hall Road, it was opened in 1983 and has a staff of 80 which serves approximately 960 students from Raymond Terrace, Medowie and other outlying areas....
and Hunter River High School.
Commercial area
There are two main shopping centres in the town centre which is based around William Street. The Raymond Terrace Marketplace, located north-east of William Street, was opened in 1998 while Centro Plaza (formerly Raymond Terrace Plaza) is located to the south-west. Both contain supermarkets and a variety of specialty shops and are within a short walking distance of each other. The Raymond Terrace Marketplace also contains a Big WBig W
Big W is one of the largest chain of discount department stores in Australia, with over 150 stores. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, the second largest retailer in Australia. Its main competitors are Kmart and Target, both owned by Wesfarmers....
department store. Shops also line William St and the adjacent Port Stephens St and Sturgeon St. On 29 May 2008 an Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
supermarket opened at the corner of Port Stephens and Kangaroo streets, bringing the total number of supermarkets in the town to three, all within 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) of each other. In August 2011, it was announced that the Raymond Terrace Marketplace, would be modernised and should be completed by late 2011.
Recreation
There is a boat ramp adjacent to the Fitzgerald Bridge, which crosses the Williams River, and the area is popular with water skiers and fisherpeople.
Tomorrow, When the War Began
In June 2009, Screen AustraliaScreen Australia
Screen Australia is the Federal Government’s key funding body for the Australian screen production industry. Its functions are to support and promote the development of a highly creative, innovative and commercially sustainable industry....
announced that it would fund the development of the feature film Tomorrow, When The War Began, based on the John Marsden
John Marsden (writer)
John Marsden is an Australian writer, teacher and school principal. Marsden has had his books translated into nine languages including Swedish, Norwegian, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Italian and Spanish....
novel of the same name. Raymond Terrace was chosen as a major location for producing the film as it is "a great country town". Historic King Street, the former main street of the town, was transformed from a normally quiet location into Main Street, Wirrawee. The street began its transformation in September 2009. Set areas included the "Wirrawee Cinema" and the Lee family's Asian restaurant. Filming began in King Street on 21 October 2009 and continued until 27 October 2009. Filming in other locations in the town ended on 6 November 2009.